Now that's Italian! Is Spaghetti Just Like a TV Show? Who’s to Say?

By Arthur Germain, Principal & Chief Brandteller at Brandtelling

There’s an adage in marketing about throwing an idea or tactic against the wall to see whether it sticks. It supposedly refers to the questionable practice of throwing spaghetti against a wall to see whether it is ready to eat. Now marketing meets the cooking world in a spaghetti scandal.

Pasta maker Barilla has been sued over its marketing. Barilla says it is, “Italy’s No. 1 Brand of Pasta.” But here’s the thing: Barilla, an Italian family-owned food company, makes some of that pasta in Iowa and New York, not Milan and Florence.

Does this mean the company is lying? The lawsuit says yes, but what if Barilla is Italy’s No. 1 Brand of Pasta? I mean, what if people living in Italy prefer and buy Barilla Pasta more frequently than any other brand of pasta?

Maybe we need to think about spaghetti like we do about TV shows.

Every season, as soon as new TV shows are announced for OTA television stations and streaming services – and often before the first episode or even the pilot episode has “aired” – the new TV shows are promoted as “TV’s No. 1 Hit Comedy,” “TV’s No. 1 Hard-Hitting Drama,” or “TV’s No. 1 New Show.”

I’m sure the individual stations and their production companies have run the new shows by test audiences to gauge their reactions, but does this really qualify them as “TV’s Best New…” show? Isn’t it all just some hype to get new audiences with about one-hundredth of a second’s attention span to consider watching the show? There is usually no attribution, and if there is, it is according to TV Guide or some other critic’s opinion and not due to an audience vote.

If a television show declares itself a hit, but subsequent viewers and TV critics say otherwise, the station, streamer and sponsors are going to dive before another episode airs. Lying doesn’t get you much.

Similarly, if an Italian family-owned food company says it makes the best pasta in Italy, from Iowa and New York, you may try a box and decide otherwise. And foodies, food critics and restaurants can vote with their wallets as well. Again, being dishonest works against you quickly.

What matters, in my opinion, is whether the marketer is being authentic and their examples are concrete – if they truly believe in their product or service and can tell a story that backs up their claims. For example, Barilla, founded in Italy in 1877, operates 30 production facilities – 15 in Italy and 15 in the rest of the world, including two in America. If Barilla is authentic in the way it makes its pasta, the way it sources ingredients and it’s processes – and it truly believes it is Italy’s best pasta – the global nature of its manufacturing and production may not matter. If they are not acting authentically, they will be found out.

The companies’ intent and the follow-on activity by chefs or TV viewers will determine whether the marketers’ claims are authentic, and their stories are concrete – or not.

If you spend more than 10 seconds reading any of my content here or watching my podcasts, you know that I share stories about, well, sharing stories. I think it’s critical for marketers to share why they do what they do, how they do that and what, specifically, they do for their customers, partners, employees and communities that improves their lives. To be concrete in this example: Does Barilla make pasta that makes it easier, more fun and rewarding to cook for family and friends? And can they tell some authentic story about an Italian heritage that backs their claims of Italian Pasta Superiority?

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Now, excuse me so I can watch an episode of America’s Favorite New Comedy while I eat a bowl of “Italy’s No. 1 Brand of Pasta!”